Evaluating Quality in Instruction

In response to the significant growth of online learning over the past two decades, educators who were concerned about high-quality instructional design, and mostly in online and blended instruction, developed evidence-based standards to evaluate academic courses. Different organizations researched the literature and collected standards and best practices for instructional designs that support student learning, and the fundamental similarities across the sets of standards will be obvious to you. It is worth noting the differences in focus and emphasis between the sets of standards as well because they reflect the interests of the organizations that created the standards. As you browse each set of standards, consider whether they focus on course design, course delivery, student learning, or instructor facilitation. Also, consider whether we as educators place as much emphasis on using course design standards to evaluate instructional design in traditional-format, face-to-face courses as we do in online and hybrid courses.